Wanjin Lady

For a long time.

There was not a sound from inside the carriage.

"I understand what Senior Brother Xiuwen means."

Finally, Wen Wan spoke softly through the carriage curtain, her tone tinged with sorrow.

"When a person dies, their debts are settled. I will not hold any grudges against the past."

"As long as Cheng Family Winery and I both stay in our own businesses, I don't mind healthy competition."

What could Wen Wan say?

She wasn't magnanimous enough to forgive Yuan Liulang on behalf of the deceased Lü Ping.

But Yuan Liulang has already paid with his life, so saying these things now seems meaningless.

Cheng Yunzhang, standing outside the carriage, gently cupped his hands and solemnly bowed to Wen Wan to express his gratitude.

Wen Wan held her son with a wistful expression, while Hongmei held Wen Wan's daughter. Seeing Wen Wan's listless face, Hongmei knew that her young lady was not happy to hear about Yuan Liulang, so she quickly changed the subject and asked, "Miss, let's give the young master and young lady some nicknames. The journey is still long, and it's not good to keep calling them young master and young lady."

Wen Wan thought about it and realized that made sense, but she had limited education and was not willing to do mental work. She then saw Wei Zheng sitting not far away and sighed in her heart. She then beckoned to Hongmei and whispered a few words to her.

Since the woman who had just given birth was not able to move easily, the entire team stayed at the camp to regroup. Before long, Wei Zheng saw the girl named Hongmei next to Wen Shimei timidly walking towards them with paper and pen in her hand.

"My lords... my young lady says... the journey is still long, and it's not appropriate to call them Da Bao and Xiao Bao. I would be grateful if you could spare some time to give the young master and young lady some nice nicknames."

Upon hearing the name selection, Yao Shizhen chuckled and said, "We have three people here. Which one will your daughter choose?"

Hongmei glanced at Wei Zheng, then quickly turned her head away. "The young lady said... let the young master and young lady draw lots themselves, whichever one they draw is fine."

Yao Shizhen laughed and turned to his two disciples beside him, saying, "That girl is capable of doing this!"

He added, "You two are practically half uncles. Since you have some free time now, it would be a good opportunity to give the child a nickname."

Hongmei then took the paper and pen and went forward.

After a moment's thought, the three began to write.

Yao Shizhen laughed and said, "These two children were born in danger, which shows that they are destined for great fortune. Why not give them a natural and strong nickname so that no evil can harm them?"

Cheng Yunzhang then said, "The *Miscellaneous Book of Five Elements* says: 'A black dog with white ears, if kept by its owner, will bring wealth and honor; a black dog with white front paws, will bring many children and grandchildren; a yellow dog with a white crest, will bring generations of noble birth. A dog that has many puppies at once is a sign of wealth. How about naming this little boy Xi Gou (Stream Dog)?'"

If Wen Wan were here, she would definitely have fainted from anger on the spot.

She went through so much trouble to give birth to a child, and now she wants to name it a dog?

Although it was customary in ancient times to give children humble names in the hope that they would be easy to raise and live long lives, what about naming them "cat" or "dog"?

Is it a stream dog? A homonym for a greyhound? Is your nickname "Dog Egg"?

"Alright, alright, let's name the son Gou Dan (Dog Egg) and the daughter Cui Hua (Emerald Flower). It sounds like none of the people in this room are very bright." Cheng Yunzhang and Yao Shizhen were still enthusiastically discussing the children's nicknames when Wei Zheng had already raised his hand and scribbled a few words in a flamboyant manner.

Cheng Yunzhang leaned closer to take a look and saw that the words "Zhaozhao" and "Brother Hui" were written on it.

Wei Zheng put down his pen and said in a calm voice, "Zhao means bright and radiant, like the bright universe or the path to enlightenment. It's a cute and adorable character for a little girl to use."

“Hui, a beautiful jade, is a symbol of a gentleman. It is both unconventional and elegant.”

Yao Shizhen said with a smile, "It is a common belief among ordinary people that giving a child a humble name can deceive ghosts and spirits, making them dislike the child and thus avoiding misfortune, making the child less sick and easier to raise. If a child is not given a proper name, or if someone else's name is used, it creates a mismatch between the soul and the name, so when the ghosts of death try to claim the soul by name, they will miss their target. At the same time, it is also to prevent villains from using names to perform witchcraft and causing harm."

Wei Zheng raised an eyebrow slightly and said with a smile, "Teacher didn't used to believe in supernatural phenomena."

“That was before we had no expectations.” Yao Shizhen’s gaze drifted into the distance. “If there were other ways, why would we seek immortality? We only kneel to heaven because we have no other path. What parent doesn’t want their child to be healthy and well? You—”

Yao Shizhen smiled and said, "Only when you become a father yourself will you know what it feels like to worry about your child."

While discussing naming Wenwan's child, the conversation quickly turned to Wei Zheng's marriage. "I heard that... last year Her Majesty the Empress intended to arrange a marriage for you, but it fell through. You are now over twenty and have been wandering around without anyone to care for you. This marriage... I'm afraid it can't be delayed any longer."

The rebellious youth Wei Zheng smiled and retorted, "Does a person have to get married in this life? I'm used to being alone, without any ties or worries. Isn't that a kind of carefree life?"

Yao Shizhen teased his eldest disciple with a smile, "When you were young, you said that when you, Wei Jinyu, got married, you wouldn't care about family background, wealth, or appearance. Has that changed now? I heard from your master's wife that there are plenty of beautiful and gentle girls in the capital... Do you, Wei Jinyu, not find any of them attractive?"

Wei Zheng smiled without saying a word, only handing the paper with his name written on it to Hongmei. Then, ignoring the elders' pressure to get married, he said, "Teacher, when Monkey and the others return, I will leave a few people to escort you and your wife. I will go to Bozhou first, and we will meet there."

Yao Shizhen knew that Wei Zheng was going to Bozhou to investigate a smuggling case, so he said, "You have official business to attend to, so I won't keep you here. But the situation is dangerous right now... You must take care of yourself."

Yao Shizhen, true to his old fox nature, quickly steered the conversation back on track, saying, "I'm still waiting for you to get married, have children, and be surrounded by your grandchildren."

Wei Zheng could only beg for mercy.

These days, the only people in the world who still care about his marriage are probably his aunt and his teacher.

He then looked at Cheng Yunzhang, who was seriously considering a name for his child.

His junior brother and sister are both strange.

One is clueless, the other is unhappy.

Recalling his junior brother's nervousness when facing his junior sister Wen's predicament, Wei Zheng sensed a feeling that Cheng Yunzhang himself might not even be aware of.

A clean-cut, refined scholar falls in love with a widow whose husband has just died. This kind of story, though novel, is not uncommon.

Such immoral and unacceptable feelings... are like the mist drifting in the mountains at midnight, which will burn away in the darkness as soon as the sun rises.

Although they were fellow disciples, Wei Zheng and Cheng Yunzhang were meeting for the first time, so it wasn't appropriate for Wei Zheng to comment on their personal relationships. He reached out and removed a chicken feather stuck in Cheng Yunzhang's hair, then patted him on the shoulder with a smile, saying, "Junior brother, remember to contact me when you get to Bozhou."

Cheng Yunzhang snapped out of his reverie, his pen already in place. He carefully rolled up the slip of paper bearing his name, replying with a smile, "Senior Brother has official business to attend to, so it's probably inconvenient for us to meet for the time being. I'll visit you in Bingzhou once you've resolved your urgent matters. Don't worry, Senior Brother, I will certainly take good care of our teacher." (End of Chapter)